Furnace.



No. 678,423. Patented luly I6, |90I.

W. S. ROCKWELL.

F U R N A C E (Appliation filed Nov. 6, 1900.)

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F U B N A C E.

(Application tiled Nov. 8, 1900.)

a snets-sheet 3.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES NVENTOR I lAllorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER S. ROCKWELL, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent NO. 678,423, dated July 16,1901. Application iled November 6,1900. Serial No. 35,692. (No model.)

To all whom,Y it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER S.RocKWELL', a resident of New York city, inthe county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved furnace, and more particularly to afurnace for heating blanks for balls for ball-bearings, the object ofthe'invention being to provide a furnace which Will subject the blanksto a gradually-increasing temperature until the maximum is reached, whenthe blanks will be automatically discharged, thus resulting in a uniformand gradually-increasing telnperature to all the blanks alike.

A further object is to provide a rotary furnace with an internal spiralgroove or runway through which the -blanks travel.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements-of parts, aswill be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal sectionillustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top view. Fig. 3 is a view ofthe entrance end of the furnace for blanks. Fig. 4 is a view of theother end of the furnace, and Fig. 5 is a view in longi-y tudinalsection of a modified form of my invention.

1 represents a supporting-frame for my improved furnace 2, and saidframe comprises standards Sat each end, suitably braced by diagonal andhorizontal braces 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The upper ends of theend portions of the frame are provided with pillow-blocks 5, spacedapart and provided at their respective ends with semicircular bearingsfor the'trunnions of rollers 6, disposed between the pillow-blocks 5 andon which my improved furnace 2 is mounted at its respective ends.

The furnace 2 comprises an elongated cylindrical casing 7 havingcontracted end portions 8 secured at its respective'ends and mountedupon the rollers 6, and the firing end of the furnace has securedthereon a gear 9, with which a smaller gear 10 meshes, the latter beingsecured on a shaft 11, eX- tending along one sidel of the furnace andmounted in suitable bearings 12 on frame 1. A sprocket-Wheel 13 issecured on shaft 11 at the charging or feeding end of the furnace and isconnected by a sprocket-chain 14 with any approved engine (not shown)for revolving the furnace.

A funnel 15 for feeding the blanks to the furnace is located at the feedor charging end thereof and is made with an angular socket, into Whichan angular supporting-rod 15 projects, and said rod is made with anangular sleeve 16, adjustably secured on an angular rod 17, projectingat right angles to the end of frame 1, by means of a set-screw 18, andthe funnel is provided with a lconical discharge-spout 19, preferably ofrefractory lnaterial, projecting into the feed end of the furnace, so asto direct the blanks therein and also to regulate the size of theopening for the escape of the burned and spent gases and products ofcombustion, as it Will be seen that by moving the spout in and out ofthe end of the furnace the space around it will be increased ordiminished and the draft through the furnace regulated to suit anycondition.

The furnace is provided throughout with an internal thick lining 20, offire-clay or other refractory material, which latter is made with aspiral groove 21, which extends from a point near the feed end to nearthe ring end,where a series of holes 22 are provided in the lining 20,.alining with holes in the casing 7 to permit the heated blanks to fallinto a suitable conveyer (not shown) and carried to a point for furthertreatment.

Any suitable nozzle or burner 23 for discharging vapor or gas is locatedat the firing end of the furnace and is adapted to direct a flame intothe furnace, the current of air and gases passing entirely through thefurnace and out the feed end thereof.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: Blanks are fed into thefunnel 15 and fed thereby through spout 19 into the furnace, where theywill find their way into the groove 21, and as the furnace is revolvedby the mechanism above explained the blanks will ICO move forward in thegroove toward the intense heat until they reach the dischargeports 22,where they will be discharged, and it will be seen that as it will takeeach and every blank the same length of time to pass through the furnaceand as each is subjected to a gradually-increasing heat they will beuniformly heated and be ready for the next step in the process of makingballs for ball-bearings.

Instead of constructing the furnace-lining as above explained I mightmake the same as shown in Fig. 5. In this form of my invention thefire-clay or other refractory lining 2t is made with a conical ortapering bore, or, in other words, the interior diameter thereof issmallest near the feed end and gradually increases to the point ofdischarge of the blanks, and the spiral groove 25 is formed in thelining for the passage of blanks. With this form of furnace the grooveis not only spiral, but in effect conical or tapering, so that theincline of the grooved runway is increased to facilitate the passage ofthe blanks through the furnace.

Various other slight changes might be resorted to in the general formand arrangement of the several parts described without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I would have itunderstood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details setforth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes andalterations as fairly fall Within the spirit and scope of my inventionas claimed.

Having fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a revoluble furnace having an opening therethroughfrom end to end, means for feeding blanks into one end of said furnace,and means for projecting heat into the other end of the furnace, saidfurnace provided therein with a spiral runway for blanks, having itsdischarge end spaced from the end of the furnace into which heat -isprojected, and means at the discharge end provided interiorly with anunobstructed spiral runway and provided with radial discharge-portsremoved inwardly from one end of the furnace and communicating with therunway so as to receive blanks therefrom means for feeding blanks intothe other end of the furnace and means for projecting heat into the endof the furnace nearest the discharge-ports.

3. The combination of a revoluble furnace having a workin g chamber andmeans for projecting heat directly into one end thereof, said workingchamber having an unobstructed spiral groove or runway communicatingwith lateral discharge-ports for blanks at a point removed inwardly fromthe end of said chamber into which the heat is projected.

4. In a furnace, the combination with asupporting-frame, rollers on saidframe, a furnace revolubly supported ou the rollers, and means forrevolving the furnace, of a fireclay lining in the furnace having aspiral groove therein for the passage of blanks, a funnel connected tothe frame, a spout on the funnel projecting into one end of the furnaceto direct the blanks into the groove means for adjusting the funnel toregulate the draft through the furnace and means at the other end of thefurnace for directing a iamc therein.

5. In a furnace, the combination with a rotary cylinder, of means fordirecting a flame into one end of the cylinder, and an adjustable devicefor feeding blanks to the other end of the furnace, said adjustabledevice also constituting means for regulating the draft through thefurnace.

6. The combination with a revoluble furnace open at its inlet end, of afeeding device projectinginto said open end of the furnace, and meansfor adjusting said feeding device relatively to the open inlet end ofthefurnace for regulating the draft through the furnace.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence 0ftwo subscribing witnesses.

VALTER S. ROCKWELL.

Witnesses:

ALLAN C. ROWE, E. H. P. SQUIRE.

